Health Tips

As you travel to a foreign country, you have to be able adapt yourself with the new environment, or else due to the climatic changes, travelers are likely to get ill. Practicing hygienic habits, making sure food, water, and sanitation of restaurants and tea houses are good, and being aware of ones’ surroundings helps to prevent illness that may come from traveling to a foreign land.

Upset stomach, often caused by change in diet or contaminated food and water is a common ailment. To avoid it, one should pay particular attention to hygiene and quality of food and drinks.Cough, cold sore throats common in the dry mountain air can lead to chest infection. Sore throats can best be avoided by attempting not to breathe cold air directly through mouth. Smoking should also be avoided.

Joint muscle strains, foot problems and blisters are other hindrances for trekkers. Wearing good footwear will go a long way in avoiding these problems. For sprains and strains, apply cold water to reduce swelling and support the joint with crepe bandage.

High Altitude Sickness ( Acute Mountain Sickness)

Acute Mountain sickness (AMS) is a sickness caused by rapid high altitude trek.It is the effect of altitude on those who ascend too rapidly to elevations above 3,000m. Therefore climbers ascending 3,000 meters or above should acquire full information for proper acclimatization processes. Maintaining fluid intake and keeping oneself hydrated greatly helps to prevent altitude sickness.

Altitude Sickness, if not treated when symptoms first appear, can lead to death. Early mountain sickness will manifest itself in headache, loss of appetite and sleeplessness. Do not ignore these warnings otherwise more serious symptoms can occur which can even cause death sometimes within a few hours. Being young, strong and fit does not help. Medicine is not substitute for descent. The patient must move downwardsto calm and cure the altitude sickness and then provide necessary treatment. If you travel in Khumbu region, you can contact hospitals at Khunde and Pheriche and if you travel to Manang you can contact Manang hospital for altitude sickness and information. Doctors are available there during trekking season.

Symptoms

The conjunction of these symptoms is to be taken seriously; when some of them appear, complete rest at least one night and one day. Ordinarily, the symptoms appear in the following order, but not necessarily:

Headache, in particular in the evening or during night-time, provoking sleeplessness

Loss of appetite, leading mostly to nausea

Heavy tiredness all over

Severe urine retention: this symptom is very important and is often neglected and even not noted.

Diuretics, such as DIAMOX in particular, may reduce this last mentioned symptom, and painkillers may neutralize headache. Further process is transfer to hospital in Kathmandu. World well-known tropical diseases and travel medicine clinic CIEWC CLINIC (http://wiwec-clinic.com) is a privet health center it does take health insurance and their service are as good as western hospital and costly too.